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UK: 80
food poisoning cases linked to former Saffron restaurant Source of
Article: http://www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/news_local/4238120.Ilkley_restaurant_owners_admit_hygiene_breaches/ 4:23pm
Thursday 26th March 2009 Two owners of an Ilkley
restaurant that was shut down after 80 cases of food poisoning were linked to
it have pleaded guilty to 20 breaches of food hygiene laws and related
offences at Bradford Magistrates Court. Abdul Ghafoor, of Fagley
Road, Fagley, and Mohammed Ayub, of Westlands Grove, Allerton, were charged
with 13 counts of breaching food hygiene laws and an additional six counts of
obstructing an official Health and Safety investigation at the now defunct
Saffron restaurant in Ilkley. The charges related to
serious breaches of food hygiene rules which led to an outbreak of a rare
parasitic infection which saw over 80 taken ill after eating at the
restaurant in late 2007. Traces of the giardia
lamblia parasite, usually associated with the Middle East and which causes
gastro-intestinal illness, nausea and stomach cramps, were found in 87 people
who had eaten at the restaurant. Addressing the defendants,
magistrates panel chairman Mrs Bielby said: "We have decided the
offences are so serious they deserve a greater punishment than we are able to
hand down in this court." She sent the case to
Bradford Crown Court for sentencing on May 8. Bradford Council's
environmental health manager Angela Brindle said: "It has been a very
difficult case to investigate as the giardia parasite is not normally
associated with food-borne outbreaks of this nature and, in fact, we believe
it is the first giardia outbreak associated with a food business in this
country. "Looking into this
case was made even more difficult by one of the proprietors not disclosing
themselves as a bona fide owner of the restaurant until nine months into the
investigation. This is why we also brought a case of obstruction against Mr
Ghafoor and Mr Ayub as they caused considerable delay to the
investigation." She continued: "The
restaurant staff were totally ill-prepared for the job. They had no food
hygiene training and no experience of running a food business safely. Staff
did not know how to wash their hands properly and even carried on working
when they had diarrhoea. "The key message we
want to send out to other food businesses following this case is that
management must be present on site at all times and trained in food hygiene
and they must have a clear understanding of the need for equipment
maintenance. "Staff must be trained
and supervised to ensure they are carrying out hygiene practices correctly
and food handlers must not work under any circumstances whilst suffering from
sickness and diarrhoea." |
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